Antonio de Montesinos makes a special ‘prophetic’ appearance at Caribbean Theology Conference

Days before celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord, on the fourth Sunday of Advent, 1511, Antonio de Montesinos OP delivered a sobering homily to a congregation of his fellow Spaniards, denouncing their exploitation of the Indigenous people of Hispaniola.

His faith in action led him to immediately fall out of favour with his leaders and de Montesinos found himself on the receiving end of their oppressive ways. Because he resisted evil, de Montesinos was repaid with chastisement. de Montesinos must have known the dehumanising personal consequences he would invite for choosing the side of justice. Still, resolute to be on the side of the poor, he forsook his own life for the sake of the gospel.

Over 500 years since Christianity’s ‘Luke 4 moment’ in the Americas began, the Conference on Theology in the Caribbean Today (CTCT) joined de Montesinos’ revolutionary announcement as it explored the theme for its 23rd conference, Prophetic Responses to Contemporary Challenges.

As conference participants deliberated in-person in Barbados and online, an image of who may be considered the Caribbean’s first Christian prophetic preacher was ever present.

In preparation for the 2025 CTCT, the CTCT secretariat was inspired by the story of Antonio de Montesinos—a symbol of spiritual conviction, faith in action, and authentic Christian witness.

All the marketing materials displayed his image in some way, from photographs of a statue dedicated to him in the Dominican Republic, to a digital illustration reimagined to visualise how de Montesinos might look today.

It was hoped that the Spirit who inspired Antonio de Montesinos—the same Spirit who inspired Christ—would inspire participants as they prepared to deliver their contributions to the conference.

For some participants, the image of de Montesinos was a familiar one. For others, the conference was their first encounter with this symbol of a Caribbean prophetic witness.

Indeed, this year’s CTCT confirmed that the Holy Spirit who empowered Antonio de Montesinos’ voice now sounds like the voices of Trinbagonian Presbyterian theologian Stephanie Baldeosingh, Barbadian Anglican priest Rev Dr Sonia Hinds, and Dutch Caribbean Catholic researcher Peter Jordens, to name a few.

Angelo Kurbanali

The artwork was designed by CTCT member, creative, and theologian Angelo Kurbanali. When asked why he opted to go in the direction of Antonio de Montesinos, Kurbanali responded: “My creative process necessarily involves prayerful reflection and expression. I’ve come to believe that an integral part of humanity’s call from God is to participate in God’s creative work in the world. “Within this call, I hear an invitation from the Holy Spirit for all of us (meaning all the faithful, not just professional creatives) to glorify God’s creativity by expressing our own creativity. It’s like God’s creative expression and our creative expression together constitute the water in the stream, and like trees planted by the river, contemplation in God’s embrace nourishes us to bear fruit. All this is to say: there’s no specific formula for creativity, but when we practise our creativity, it’s God’s creative expression flowing through us.”

Kurbanali stated that a biblical expression of this idea could be found in Psalm 145:4-13 while referring to conference participant Sheila-Maria Tagallie’s presentation ‘Sacred Storytelling, Unfolding in the Flesh’ as a contemporary expression of the same idea.

Kurbanali continued: “For as long as I’ve been a member of the CTCT, we’ve had themes for conferences which help guide participants’ theological expression. Last year, as the secretariat began preparations for this year’s CTCT in Barbados, I felt like the symbolism in Antonio de Montesinos was the only direction I could follow.

“The iconic excerpt of his story embodies what it means to be a prophet, to be a creative, and fundamentally, to be a Christian. The experience felt like there was a mutual invitation for the CTCT to enter de Montesinos’ space as we invited him to enter into ours, all in the same Spirit of Christ.”

de Montesinos touched participants’ imaginations, and they found his presence fitting for this year’s conference, welcome news for the young creative. For Kurbanali, the reality of doing creative work is that artists never know how creative expression will be received, regardless of the process behind it. “Creativity is a super vulnerable and humbling practice. All I can say is thank God for the gift of Antonio de Montesinos’ prophetic witness in defence of our Indigenous ancestors and thank God we have the privilege to be invited to participate in God’s creative reality.” —CTCT Secretariat